April 21, 1998

Federal District Court jury in Chicago, in suit brought by National Organization for Women, rules three anti-abortion leaders violated Federal racketeering law by conducting nationwide campaign to intimidate abortion providers and patients; found 21 acts of intimidation, including physical violence outside clinics, amounted to vast enterprise of extortion under 1970 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act; awards $85,926 to two abortion clinics in Milwaukee and Wilimington (Del) that were targets of harassment; defendants identified as militant anti-abortion groups, Operation Rescue and Pro-Life Action League, and leaders Joseph Scheidler, Timothy Murphy and Andrew Scholberg (M)

Lawrence Van Gelder reviews The Great Gilly Hopkins, play written by David Paterson and Steve Liebman, presented at New Victory Theater in Times Square; photo (M)

Connecticut regulators recommend that state's largest utility, Northeast Utilities, no longer charge customers for costs associated with nuclear reactor that has been idle for two years; decision, if adopted, would mean that stockholders, not ratepayers, would have to pay for management errors at Millstone Nuclear Power Station (M)

Detroit Red Wings prepare to defend its NHL Stanley Cup championship (M)

New York Stock Exchange took leadership in pricing shares of Cendant Corp stock that collapsed on April 16; 12 million shares of Cendant traded in other markets that morning before Big Board was able to open stock, at 11:04 AM, or 94 minutes after exchange opened for business that day; New York Stock Exchange was issuing repeated advisories on where it thought stock might open--advisories that seem to set parameters for where others were willing to trade; Big Board specialist in stock was having difficult time figuring out just how low price of Cendant had to go in aftermath of announcement previous day of apparent accounting irregularity that meant 1997 profits had been overstated; chart (Market Place column) (L)